911 Experiences

jujuwwhite · 01-12-2010, 08:13 PM

Several of you have showed an interest in my lifestyle of being a full time 911 dispatcher/supervisor and have asked for me to share some of my experiences. I am honored beyond words to be asked to share this part of my life!

I would also like to hear about any experiences you have had with any 911 world wide. I am very interested in learning how other states/countries handle their 911 services.

This is my first attempt at this endeavor so I will just start out with this little poem we have posted in our lobby here at the center. It was written several years ago by several of us 'ole timers' who had a slow night and was feeling creative...

Protecting the Three

I am the Officer, follow me
Preserving the peace is where I'll be
I am the torch that lights the way
In darkness my courage will never sway
Leading the others, that is me
I am the Officer, guiding the Three.

I am the Fire Fighter, follow me
Into the flames is where I'll be
I am he who battles the beast
To protect that on which it would feast
Lending strength to the others, that is me
I am the Fire Fighter, supporting the Three.

I am the Medic, follow me
Easing the pain is where I'll be
I am the one who helps them survive
Lifting the fallen to keep them alive
Treating the others, that is me
I am the Medic, healing the Three.

I am the Dispatcher, don't follow me
Agony and chaos is where I'll be
Working in obscurity, the forgotten place
Not death, but insanity is the danger I face.
Answering the call, that is me
I am the Dispatcher, protecting the Three.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-12-2010, 08:41 PM

Good start.

capnhowdy · 01-12-2010, 08:52 PM

The call came through her office when Brown Thrasher was shot twice with a 50 caliber by his roommate (whom I also knew). I'm sure a lot of you old timers remember old Thrasher... RIP. They gave the guy who shot him life. I've posted about this before.... too lazy to link the threads. He's still in the members list. Brown Thrasher = shit stirrer = somebody finally killed that sumbitch = wish I'd have never told him about teh Cellar.....

Glad you started the thread juju! Now I'm calling 911. Nah... I'll just wait and talk to you in the morning on our way to the dentist. OUCH!

Bullitt · 01-12-2010, 09:04 PM

Always say good morning to dispatch! They're much nicer to you the rest of the day if you do.

xoxoxoBruce · 01-12-2010, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnhowdy

I'll just wait and talk to you in the morning on our way to the dentist. OUCH!

Now don't be going to the dentist with curlys 'tween your teeth.

capnhowdy · 01-12-2010, 09:12 PM

No mooshie cooshie tonight, XO.... she's on the radio.

Shawnee123 · 01-12-2010, 09:26 PM

juju, love the poem.

jujuwwhite · 01-12-2010, 09:50 PM

Just took a call from a child screaming his daddy was beating his momma! Those are the hardest ones when the children call. I just want to rush out and hug them to my bosum and comfort them. But before I can think too hard about it, another call for a crisis such as a cat up a tree, a wreck on the freeway, or a house fire comes in and duty calls.

Flint · 01-12-2010, 10:42 PM

Holy ƒuck.

wolf · 01-13-2010, 09:36 AM

911 calls me more often than I call 911.

...

jujuw, I know that kind of a call. Do you ever use your local CISM team?

(I just got applications for my team from four dispatchers from my local call center, we already have three on the team, and the best CISM guy I know is a dispatcher, so you do have plenty of peer support. And by that I mean peer support other than going out for beer at the end of the shift.)

...

The poem is awesome.

jujuwwhite · 01-13-2010, 02:12 PM

Wolf, I hate to sound stupid but I've never heard of CISM. What is that?

Sundae · 01-13-2010, 03:24 PM

I can tell you a little bit about the ambulance side of things in the UK.

The 999 call goes through to an operator(s) whose sole job is to put the call through to the relevant service - Fire, Ambulance or Police. Actually, I think the Coastguard is the fourth emergency service, but living so far inland I've no experience of it personally.

The call will then be diverted to a local office, although as thime has gone on, the offices have been less and less local. Mum used to work at the end of Dunsham Lane (10 minutes walk?). Now I think the office is in Northampton. 40 odd miles away.

When the call came through as an emergency (ie a 999 call) a light went off on the top of the consoles. The caller was then dealt with by a member of staff in the office, who had to get as many details from them as possible. They then decided which ambulance was closest/ free/ properly equipped to handle the nature of the call and contacted them on the radio. It was all done manually and required excellent knowledge of the roads and area and meticulous paperwork.

Note - my information is probably well out of date by now!

In the UK, even if the staff suspect it is a hoax call, or know the caller as a hypochondriac, the ambulance still has to attend. Mum said some of the most upsetting calls were when some old dear was on the phone trying to hold back tears and apologising for calling about their husband turning blue when Mum knew she'd sent an ambulance on a call to someone who probably only had bad indigestion.

She used to work shifts - 07.00-15.00, 13.00-21.00, 15.00-23.00 and 23.00-07.00. I could never get my head round what she was working when, so there used to be a big shift chart on the wall. I'd look ahead to days like birthdays and such and just cringe if it was nights. That was the worst shit in so many ways, and she used to be very difficult to live with. We had a couple of miserable Christmases when the shifts fell in the wrong pattern.

Dad worked shifts too, and I got older I might be the only person up for her to talk to when she got home at 21.30 (my sister has always been early to bed). I remember her coming home one night telling me about a Police motorbike fatality where they had to collect what they could in plastic bags... And of a woman split right up to her bellybutton, with everything below the waist lying on the road.

I'm not really sure how helpful I was to her. I was a selfish teenager. The stories have stayed with me though.

Still, at least I was the only call-centre member who never had to stop and think about the call sigh alphabet - we learned it alongside Mum when I was 11.

classicman · 01-13-2010, 03:36 PM

I just called 911 cuz there was a pretty bad car accident out front - guy that answered was a douche.

lookout123 · 01-13-2010, 10:48 PM

This one time, on 9 11 my sister was walking our goat under this tower when she was hit by a flagpole when it fell...

squirell nutkin · 01-13-2010, 11:27 PM

01-12-2010, 08:13 PM	#1
jujuwwhite Capnhowdy's #1 smasher Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rentz, GA Posts: 339	911 Experiences Several of you have showed an interest in my lifestyle of being a full time 911 dispatcher/supervisor and have asked for me to share some of my experiences. I am honored beyond words to be asked to share this part of my life! I would also like to hear about any experiences you have had with any 911 world wide. I am very interested in learning how other states/countries handle their 911 services. This is my first attempt at this endeavor so I will just start out with this little poem we have posted in our lobby here at the center. It was written several years ago by several of us 'ole timers' who had a slow night and was feeling creative... Protecting the Three I am the Officer, follow me Preserving the peace is where I'll be I am the torch that lights the way In darkness my courage will never sway Leading the others, that is me I am the Officer, guiding the Three. I am the Fire Fighter, follow me Into the flames is where I'll be I am he who battles the beast To protect that on which it would feast Lending strength to the others, that is me I am the Fire Fighter, supporting the Three. I am the Medic, follow me Easing the pain is where I'll be I am the one who helps them survive Lifting the fallen to keep them alive Treating the others, that is me I am the Medic, healing the Three. I am the Dispatcher, don't follow me Agony and chaos is where I'll be Working in obscurity, the forgotten place Not death, but insanity is the danger I face. Answering the call, that is me I am the Dispatcher, protecting the Three. __________________ I don't suffer from insanity...i enjoy every moment of it.

01-12-2010, 08:41 PM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Good start. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

01-12-2010, 08:52 PM	#3
capnhowdy Blatantly Homosapien Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,200	The call came through her office when Brown Thrasher was shot twice with a 50 caliber by his roommate (whom I also knew). I'm sure a lot of you old timers remember old Thrasher... RIP. They gave the guy who shot him life. I've posted about this before.... too lazy to link the threads. He's still in the members list. Brown Thrasher = shit stirrer = somebody finally killed that sumbitch = wish I'd have never told him about teh Cellar..... Glad you started the thread juju! Now I'm calling 911. Nah... I'll just wait and talk to you in the morning on our way to the dentist. OUCH! __________________ Please type slowly. I can't read very fast............... and no holy water, please.

01-12-2010, 09:04 PM	#4
Bullitt This is a fully functional babe lair Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Akron, OH Posts: 2,324	Always say good morning to dispatch! They're much nicer to you the rest of the day if you do. __________________ Kiss my white Irish ass.

01-12-2010, 09:12 PM	#6
capnhowdy Blatantly Homosapien Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 6,200	No mooshie cooshie tonight, XO.... she's on the radio. __________________ Please type slowly. I can't read very fast............... and no holy water, please.

01-12-2010, 09:26 PM	#7
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	juju, love the poem. __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

01-12-2010, 09:50 PM	#8
jujuwwhite Capnhowdy's #1 smasher Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rentz, GA Posts: 339	Just took a call from a child screaming his daddy was beating his momma! Those are the hardest ones when the children call. I just want to rush out and hug them to my bosum and comfort them. But before I can think too hard about it, another call for a crisis such as a cat up a tree, a wreck on the freeway, or a house fire comes in and duty calls. __________________ I don't suffer from insanity...i enjoy every moment of it.

01-12-2010, 10:42 PM	#9
Flint Snowflake Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Dystopia Posts: 13,136	Holy ƒuck. __________________ **************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio**

01-13-2010, 09:36 AM	#10
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	911 calls me more often than I call 911. ... jujuw, I know that kind of a call. Do you ever use your local CISM team? (I just got applications for my team from four dispatchers from my local call center, we already have three on the team, and the best CISM guy I know is a dispatcher, so you do have plenty of peer support. And by that I mean peer support other than going out for beer at the end of the shift.) ... The poem is awesome. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

01-13-2010, 02:12 PM	#11
jujuwwhite Capnhowdy's #1 smasher Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rentz, GA Posts: 339	Wolf, I hate to sound stupid but I've never heard of CISM. What is that? __________________ I don't suffer from insanity...i enjoy every moment of it.

01-13-2010, 03:24 PM	#12
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	I can tell you a little bit about the ambulance side of things in the UK. The 999 call goes through to an operator(s) whose sole job is to put the call through to the relevant service - Fire, Ambulance or Police. Actually, I think the Coastguard is the fourth emergency service, but living so far inland I've no experience of it personally. The call will then be diverted to a local office, although as thime has gone on, the offices have been less and less local. Mum used to work at the end of Dunsham Lane (10 minutes walk?). Now I think the office is in Northampton. 40 odd miles away. When the call came through as an emergency (ie a 999 call) a light went off on the top of the consoles. The caller was then dealt with by a member of staff in the office, who had to get as many details from them as possible. They then decided which ambulance was closest/ free/ properly equipped to handle the nature of the call and contacted them on the radio. It was all done manually and required excellent knowledge of the roads and area and meticulous paperwork. Note - my information is probably well out of date by now! In the UK, even if the staff suspect it is a hoax call, or know the caller as a hypochondriac, the ambulance still has to attend. Mum said some of the most upsetting calls were when some old dear was on the phone trying to hold back tears and apologising for calling about their husband turning blue when Mum knew she'd sent an ambulance on a call to someone who probably only had bad indigestion. She used to work shifts - 07.00-15.00, 13.00-21.00, 15.00-23.00 and 23.00-07.00. I could never get my head round what she was working when, so there used to be a big shift chart on the wall. I'd look ahead to days like birthdays and such and just cringe if it was nights. That was the worst shit in so many ways, and she used to be very difficult to live with. We had a couple of miserable Christmases when the shifts fell in the wrong pattern. Dad worked shifts too, and I got older I might be the only person up for her to talk to when she got home at 21.30 (my sister has always been early to bed). I remember her coming home one night telling me about a Police motorbike fatality where they had to collect what they could in plastic bags... And of a woman split right up to her bellybutton, with everything below the waist lying on the road. I'm not really sure how helpful I was to her. I was a selfish teenager. The stories have stayed with me though. Still, at least I was the only call-centre member who never had to stop and think about the call sigh alphabet - we learned it alongside Mum when I was 11. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

01-13-2010, 03:36 PM	#13
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	I just called 911 cuz there was a pretty bad car accident out front - guy that answered was a douche. __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

01-13-2010, 10:48 PM	#14
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	This one time, on 9 11 my sister was walking our goat under this tower when she was hit by a flagpole when it fell... __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin

01-13-2010, 11:27 PM	#15
squirell nutkin has a second hand user title Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: in a Nut House Posts: 2,017	__________________ And now I'm finished posting.

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